Scared of love

26

~Kieran with his buckskin gelding, Apollo, to the side~

~Poppy's POV~

I take my seat next to Kieran at the large dining table. Opposite us are Miles and his sister Alissa, who arrived two hours after us. At the head of the table sits Stefan and to my right at the the other end, sits Carol.

We are passing around all the food, taking what we'd like to eat. They have all made me feel so welcome so I don't feel shy asking them to pass me something which is nice.

"What's the plan for tomorrow, Dad?" Asks Miles then he lifts his fork to his mouth, eating a piece of the tenderly cooked lamb.

"Since we're going out for the cattle drive the day after tomorrow, we'll be preparing everything. We'll be checking that we have all the supplies and that the tack is in good condition." Says Stefan before eating some of his own dinner.

"I introduced Poppy to Simba earlier. They should probably take some time to bond tomorrow. I'll take her out on a short ride." Kieran looks at me and winks subtly. It's not seductive, it's just sweet.

"Kieran says that you know how to ride western, Poppy?" Asks Carol and I nod.

"That's right, I do. I spent three years working and learning on a western riding school from being thirteen to sixteen." I take a sip of my coke.

"How did you two meet?" Asks Stefan, completely out of the blue. "And how old are you? You look too young." He places his fork down and looks between Kieran and I expectantly.

I swallow thickly and look at Kieran who nods at me reassuringly. "I'm eighteen and Kieran was my teacher." I look down before I see Stefan's jaw hit the table.

"She's your student?" Snaps Stefan and I flinch slightly.

"Poppy was my student Uncle Stefan." Kieran says coldly, placing his own cutlery down, he reaches for my hand.

"Do you not have any morals, Boy?!"  Barks Stefan and I tighten my grip on Kieran's hand. "You could have ruined her future if someone found out."

I decide to jump in. "Please, Stefan. Your Nephew helped me through so much. I needed someone and he was there. He's  protected me from more than you can imagine." I rub my thumb over Kieran's hand under the table.

"I think it's sweet." Says Carol kindly as she looks between the two of us. Stefan huffs, defeated.

"As long as you follow everything I ever taught you. Make sure you worship the ground she walks on." Both Kieran and I look at each other and start to laugh.

"What?" Asks Stefan with a very confused look on his face.

"That is exactly what Poppy's best friend said to me." Kieran tells his Uncle with a laugh and Stefan nods before continuing to eat his dinner.

                                                               ****

My eyes open abruptly at the loud sound of a cockerel. "What the fuck.." I roll on to my side to see Kieran laughing silently at me.

"Sorry, I forgot to tell you about Jerry." Kieran leans over me and kisses my lips gently.

I scowl, but curl up next to him, resting my head on his chest. "I swear that cockerels only do that in films. Kieran just laughs and plays with my hair gently.

"Are you looking forward to our ride today?" He asks quietly.

"Most defiantly. But I haven't ridden in three years so this could be interesting." We both laugh. My eyes start to shut slightly again.